SOME of the major changes seen through the years by Ulverston shops, jobs and leisure venues featured in the latest in a series of fundraising talks for the Coronation Hall.

Everything from demolished streets and closed schools, to some of the town’s famous former residents, were described in a presentation by The Mail’s nostalgia writer Bill Myers called 80 Things Not Done in Ulverston Anymore.

The lecture series has been organised by The Friends of the Coro and is designed to raise funds to support the work of the hall.

Graeme Livingston will deliver the next talk, from 11am, on Saturday, February 8, in the Coronation Hall Supper Room, on the world of diarist William Fleming: The Pennington Pepys.

This yeoman farmer at Pennington lived from 1770 to 1829 and his diary gives a taste of town and country life in South Cumbria before the growth of heavy industry.

The talk by Mr Myers on changes in Ulverston showed many of the popular shops which have passed into history, such as clothing stores May Duff’s, Birkett’s County Stores, Fosters Menswear and the Famous Army Stores.

There had been branch of Woolworth’s on Market Street, Ulverston, since 1948 and in November 1999 staff had joined in celebrations to mark 90 years of UK trading by the company.

In 1920 a First World War tank arrived to form a static exhibit  for the appropriately-named Tank Square.

It was a gift to the town for its efforts in raising funds for war bonds.

Lost forms of town entertainment included the former Alexandra Roller Skating Rink, in a former cotton mill on the Ellers, and the old Palladium cinema, 1920 and closed in 1957 due to the high level of entertainment tax. 

Also featured was Ida Townson, of Neville Street,Ulverston, who in January 2002 made it into the Guinness Book of Records for being the longest reigning beauty queen.

She had reigned for 52 years as Miss Barrow Bathing Beauty - as the contest was never held again after her victory in 1949.

One of the biggest Ulverston changes in the modern era came in the mid-1960s when demolition work cleared the path for the new County Road.

It led to the loss of many houses, cut Brogden Street in half next to the Roxy cinema and saw the digging up of the Ulverston Rose Garden, next to the Coronation Hall.

One of the old Ulverston products to feature was Beers treacle toffee.

Its tins showed the Hoad Monument and listed other Ulverston-made delights- such as lemon or pineapple snips.

The treacle toffee was a favourite of the young Ulverston-born movie star Stan Laurel. He bought them from Gillam’s grocers.

Ulverston challenges unlikely to be repeated included the driver who got his Siddeley car to the top of the 435ft Hoad in 1907.

The plan had been to go up the steep route at the front of the monument - but several attempts failed before a much easier track was used.